Ezekiel 37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Yesterday we noted that God commanded Ezekiel to prophecy to the dry bones in the valley. As Ezekiel obeyed God, the sinews and flesh came back on the bones and the flesh covered them. God was showing the first part of His work in the nation of Israel to bring them back to Himself.
In verse 9 we see that God again commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to the wind. We notice here that this command came from the Lord GOD.
The Hebrew word translated as “Lord” is the emphatic form of another Hebrew word that speaks of the Lord as master. The Hebrew word in our text is only used as a proper name of God. The Hebrew word translated as GOD is a variation of the Hebrew word speaking of Jehovah God. The Hebrew word we have in our text is used primarily in combination of “Lord Jehovah’ as we see it in our verse.
God reminded Ezekiel who it was that he was serving. He also used this combination to remind the nation of Israel whom they needed to serve. The true God Who is also the master of those who are His children will do as He declares and He does expect His children to serve Him faithfully. He provides all that is needed for His children to serve Him faithfully.
God does not need man to prophesy on His behalf, but in His omniscience He chooses to give His children the privilege to serve Him and to exalt His name. We know in nature that the birds sing to glorify God. It is interesting to note that the birds do not seek to modernize their song. They are content to sing to glorify their Creator. We can learn some things from them. Ezekiel was given a message to remind Israel of the importance of submitting to their Creator as well.
God would enlist the four winds in this part of His Word to Ezekiel and to the nation of Israel. Keep in mind that this is all taking place in the vision that God gave to Ezekiel. God demonstrated His authority here over His creation and He can command even the winds to obey Him. They were tasked with giving breath to the bones that were a people, but not a people of God yet.
We know that today the nation of Israel is not a people of God. They have been blessed of God since they were brought back into the land that God promised Abraham, but they do not acknowledge Him as their God. The day is coming when they will do that as a nation.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
The verses following describe further the mourning that will take place as the revived nation of Israel recognizes that they did indeed put Jesus on the cross. They have suffered greatly for their rebellion, but God has not written them off. Many Jews have died and gone to hell, but there will be a remnant that will be saved and those that enter the millennium will know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord and will glorify Him.
In verse 10 we see that Ezekiel did as he was commanded and the breath came into those bodies and they stood to their feet an exceeding great army. God does not speak idle words. He has no idle actions. His prophecies will all come to pass exactly as He declares. For those who turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, this fact is a comfort. Those who reject God will suffer now and for all eternity if they do not repent and get saved.
In verse 11 God told Ezekiel that those bones were the whole house of Israel. The nation of Israel will know that they have lived an empty life. Even now, as we see that Israel can protect themselves somewhat from enemy attacks, yet they are empty. They are not enjoying the blessings that God promised to them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are not experiencing the blessings they had in the days of David. At this time they do not want to acknowledge the problem is with them and with their hearts. That will change when they finally acknowledge they are lost. There will be a generation that will turn back to the Lord. Every generation is given enough light to turn to God. Sadly, many choose not to listen to the Word of the Lord. Israel will receive that life-giving breath from the Lord GOD at the end of the Tribulation.
Israel will face some severe testing yet in the Tribulation. As we will see further in this passage, God describes some of that testing that is yet to come for the nation of Israel. God is working to bring the nation of Israel to humble themselves and acknowledge Him as their God and the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Saviour.
In verse 12 God began to give His assurance that He would do that which they could never do. As the Lord GOD He has the full capacity to revive a nation that is spiritually dead. All He requires is that they turn back to Him. God is merciful. He does not hold grudges. He does not write His children off. He chastens them when needed, but He does not write them off. It is important to know this true God.
Today is the Lord’s Day once again. It is the day God’s people look forward to. We have the privilege of going to a good local church to fellowship with the Lord and with other saints. We also have the privilege of demonstrating to the lost the blessing they could have in knowing the true God in their lives. May God find those who are saved faithful to Him in these days of grace.
Pastor Bartel
